An enjoyably convivial evening to mark World Book Night last night through the launch of my new poetry collection,
Acapulco (see previous post for details). Here I am reading from the book (available online from
Melos Press) watched by Peter Tatchell who was the dedicatee of one of the poems in the collection, 'Courage'. The poem was suggested by Peter and friends' courageous defiance of the bigots of Moscow who attacked the gay pride demonstrators while the forces of 'law and order' looked the other way.
Courage
for Peter Tatchell
Today is the day
to clean the streets
of the gay-proud.
The shavenskulls slip
like loosed dogs
into the chanting crowd
to scatter their mayhem
under the benevolent eye
of the ‘security forces’
whose black boots
firmly cleave to
the frozen ground.
It is the mania of hatred:
each lashing out
at what he fears
like a man whose wild hands
fight off a swarm
of angry bees.
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